Helen Cutter: Intrepid Explorer
by Ayla Pascal
Summary: Helen Cutter never expected to end up traveling through the very times she had studied. A fic exploring what happened to Helen Cutter over those eight years.
1. Chapter 1

Part I

It's funny how it all began. I just had a fight with my husband – our third fight in a week – and I had just stormed out of the house after throwing a few clothes into a backpack. I had decided to perhaps go and stay at Stephen's for a while. That was generally what I did whenever I was mad at Nick. But firstly, I wanted to go down to the shops for packet of smokes. It was a bad habit from my childhood days, one that kept on rearing its ugly head every time I was angry or upset.

About half an hour later, as I was clutching my lighter and cigarettes, I walked towards the woods near the supermarket. I always liked it there at night. It was peaceful. Little did I know that was about to change.

I pulled a cigarette out of its carton – I'd never got the hang of rolling my own – and lit it. I lifted it to my lips and inhaled, feeling the familiar scent permeate my lungs. I was on my third cigarette and was trying to decide whether to throw out the rest of the packet when I heard a soft scratching sound to my right.

I ignored it. The sound became more louder, and was it my imagination or did it sound more insistent?

Slowly, I turned my head and it took all of my courage – courage I didn't even know I had – not to scream or faint from shock.

The slavering face of a large animal stared back at me. As I looked, a drop of saliva fell off its sharp front teeth. At the back of my mind, I could hear a university lecturer's voice going: _the Gorgonopsia got its name due to the Gorgons of Greek mythology. _

I dropped the cigarette in shock_. This is impossible_, my mind gabbled at me, while I urged my body into motion. Feeling as if my limbs were made of sand, I started running back in the direction of the supermarket. My heart was pounding in my chest, my hair flying out behind and I was beginning to regret the backpack. It was rather heavy.

I spotted a bunch of old oil drums in front of me. _Thank_ _god for my high school gymnastics,_ I thought grimly as I leapt up and pulled myself down into one of them. I crouched there, desperately hoping that it hadn't got my scent. Right now, I was having trouble remembering anything I had been taught about them other than the fact they were classified as mammal-like reptiles and that they were most definitely carnivores. As if the front teeth didn't tell me that already.

The creature rammed its head into the drum behind me and it took everything in me to stop myself from screaming. Nick had always said that I seemed calm in the face of danger. Outwardly, perhaps, but inside I was terrified. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to just curl up and hope that the huge terrifying monster left me alone.

Instead, I made myself jump out of the oil drum and run towards the bright lights of the supermarket. They were just closing up when I'd got my cigarettes. I hoped that there was somebody still inside. Somebody who could hopefully help me. An axe would be nice. Or a gun.

I'd almost managed to delude myself into thinking that I was going to be safe when I got to the window. "Let me in!" I shouted as I banged my fist on the glass. "Please, let me in!"

As far as I could tell, there was one man still inside absorbed in the task of listening to his walkman or mp3 player or whatever newfangled thing people listen to nowadays. He looked up and took one glance at me – I supposed he thought I was an irate customer wanting tomatoes or something – and shook his head.

I could have screamed in frustration.

I stepped away from the window, just in time as a cascade of shopping carts fell down in front of me. Without looking back at the store, I started running back towards the woods. It seemed to have come from there. Maybe if I led it back there it would somehow magically disappear.

Looking back on it, I was incredibly naive back then.

I ran between some cars and crouched down, looking right and left for the monster. A car fell in front of me and I felt my heart race with shock. If that had hit me, I would have been squashed there on the road and the headline tomorrow would have been _University Researcher, Helen Cutter, Squashed By Car._

Behind me, I heard a small explosion next to the supermarket. I took that opportunity and hoped that the creature was distracted. I started sprinting as fast as I could towards the forest.

I ran quickly past the spot I had been smoking before. I could still see my lit cigarette on the ground where I had dropped it. It was burning away slowly. Briefly, I hoped that it wouldn't cause a forest fire.

Ignoring every sensible rule of running away, I turned my head to look behind me. I could still see the creature roaring in the car park. The sight of it terrified me. I kept on running, while still looking over my shoulder to keep an eye on the creature.

Then, the strangest sensation went through me. I felt a shiver go through my entire body. It felt as though a light electrical current ran through my body. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling but it wasn't a pleasant one either. It just was strange.

I blinked. I could suddenly see perfectly well again. It was as though night had miraculously become day in a second. I turned my head back around to look in front of me and for the second time that night almost fainted from shock. It was all yellow rock and desert and more creatures like that as far as the eye could see.

I looked behind me again, fully expecting to see forested England, but all I saw was a swirling sparkling vortex that was just hanging in mid air. It shone bright like a thousand multi-coloured crystals. I wondered if I stepped through it, I would find myself back in reality again. I took a small step towards it and held up my hand as if to touch it when it suddenly grew brighter for a second and then collapsed in on itself and disappeared.

_Well fuck_, I thought to myself and wondered if I had somehow fallen asleep in the forest and was dreaming. I tried to pinch myself, but all I managed to produce was a painful looking bruise on my arm. Well apparently it was reality.

I looked all around myself and took in my surroundings. From the looks of it, it seemed like the late Permian era but, of course, my scientific mind told me that was impossible. As I stood there, and breathed, I noticed how much more oxygenated and clearer the air was. The enormity of what I had experienced was just starting to sink in. I sat down heavily onto the rock, ignoring how much it hurt.

As far as I could tell, there was nothing around, no strange swirling vortexes, no anything that looked even remotely familiar. "Fuck," I said again, but this time aloud.

I felt around in my pockets, hoping for some sort of miracle, but all I found was my lighter and the packet of cigarettes I had stashed away just a few minutes earlier when everything was normal and I wasn't somehow stuck millions of years in the past.

Opening the packet of smokes, I decided it was high time I had another one. Using the well-calloused part of my thumb to create the flame, I was about to light the cigarette, when the thought occurred to me. I was millions of years before the time when the first ancestors of humanity began to evolve. And here I'd created fire for the first time.

Before I could help myself, I found myself laughing hysterically. _Helen Cutter_, I thought to myself, _you are not in Kansas any more._


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

My first night in the Permian was the most difficult. Despite my extensive field experience in archaeology and my experience rock climbing, trekking and rafting, I still wasn't prepared for life in the wilderness. I didn't have any real equipment with me. In fact, all I had in my bag was a change of clothes that I planning to take to Stephen's, a chocolate bar and a bottle of water. I was irrationally glad that I had my cigarette lighter. It was unlikely that it was going to help me if one of those horrible creatures attacked me again but it was probably better than nothing.

As the sun went down, I started to shiver. The thin jacket I was wearing seemed to be no match for the freezing temperatures of the desert.

I jogged along the edge of the cliff in an attempt to keep warm. I kept on glancing down the cliff in a hope that there would be a way down to a cave where I could shelter for the night.

Finally, after about an hour, I spied what seemed to be a very steep path leading down to a shallow cave in the rocks. I climbed down carefully and entered the cave. It was barely deep enough for me to lie down without my legs dangling out of the cliff face. Fortunately it was wider than it was deep.

I examined the floor of the cave. It seemed sandy, with no animal track marks. This was good. Hopefully I would be safe from the creatures out there in this cave.

Groaning slightly, I curled myself up against the wall of the cave and tried to sleep.

-*

As the early dawn rays of light filtered into my tiny cave, I woke from my uneasy sleep. I was hoping that it was all a dream and that I would wake up next to Nick in our bed and have nothing more to worry about than my next research paper. Unfortunately it seemed to have been real and I was somehow stuck in the Permian era due to a time vortex.

It occurred to me that, despite all this, I had been right in my research. There had always been something that had bothered me in the theory of natural selection. I wondered if these vortexes would explain the holes in that theory. If creatures from this era could travel into the future, perhaps creatures from the future could travel back. Perhaps there were more than one of these vortexes lying around.

I felt myself filled with renewed vigour. I would go out of my cave, climb back to the top of the cliff face and try to find another one of these vortex things. Hopefully, it would be one that would send me home.

As I stood up and stretched, I felt my stomach rumble. I sighed. A chocolate bar and a bottle of water wasn't going to make a good breakfast. Especially since I had to ration it. I didn't know how long it was going to take me to find one of those vortexes again – if I was going to find one at all.

-*

A few hours later, I no longer felt as chipper. The stamina from my unhealthy breakfast has long worn off and I was simply stumbling along wearily along the top of the cliff face. I had no idea where to go. I had briefly considered going into the desert but I decided that I might get completely lost in there.

In the distance, I saw more of the creatures that had attacked me last night. I sincerely hoped that they wouldn't smell me. This era was proving to be a terrifying place.

To my right, I saw a small strange-looking sharp-toothed creature crawling up a leafless tree. I shivered. It looked as though it would be very dangerous if it was bigger.

Wearily, for the fiftieth time, I squinted and shaded my eyes from the sun. I held my breath. I thought I saw a sparkle in the distance. I started jogging towards it. Yes! It seemed as though it was another one of those glittering, swirling vortexes I went through yesterday. I started running towards it.

In the distance, I saw one of the Gorgonopsia lift its head and stare in my direction. I shuddered and quickened my speed. I had absolutely no desire to tangle with one of those creatures again.

Finally, I saw the vortex in front of me. Its colours danced before my eyes. I stopped a handspan from it and hesitated. What lay beyond this one?

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the Gorgonopsia start moving towards me. I certainly wasn't going to stay here any longer. Whatever lay beyond had to be better than where I currently was.

I took a deep breath and stepped through.


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

As I stepped out of the vortex, I braced myself. What would this new time period bring? I desperately hoped that it wouldn't be as vicious as the Permian era. There was a part of me that hoped that it was going to be home, but as I looked around, I realised this was not to be.

"Greetings, traveller," a quiet voice said.

I looked and saw a tall slender woman standing there. She was wearing robes that seemed to be the same colour as the vortex behind me, all colours, yet no colours at the same time. Behind her, I noticed a veritable army of armed guards.

"Do not be alarmed," she told me, obviously mistaking my surprise for shock or fear. "You have travelled in time. I am Kaesia. I am one of the Guardians of the Anomaly. We ensure that everybody gets back to their correct time."

I managed to find my voice. It was apparent that I had somehow ended up in the future. "And those?" I said gruffly, indicating at the guards standing behind her.

The woman's voice hardened. "A necessary precaution. This anomaly leads to the Permian era, an era full of wild beasts that would wreak havoc on this city. They are here to prevent such a catastrophe." She gave me a smile that I supposed was meant to be friendly looking but looked rather like a shark looking at its prey.

My mind slowly caught up to what she was saying. "You know where this… anomaly leads?" I liked the sound of the word anomaly. It sounded better than my description of it as a vortex.

Her lips curved up into a superior smile. I felt a slight twinge of dislike for her. "Of course we do." She looked me up and down, taking in my dusty clothes and matted oily hair. "I presume you are not native of the Permian era. There were no Homo sapiens sapiens during that era."

"No," I said abruptly. I was starting to dislike her more and more.

"Hmm," she said slowly. "Backpack. Jeans. T-shirt." She took a swift step towards me, reached into my jacket pocket and found my mobile. "Telecommunications device. Late 20th century, early 21st century design."

"Maybe," I muttered, not liking how my voice had taken on a petulant edge. She reminded me of some of my primary school teachers. They had a similar way of making me feel ridiculous and young. Least they had an excuse. I was young back then.

She gestured towards the guards who came and encircled me. "You will be taken to temporary guest quarters until we can find an anomaly to take you back to your era. There will be a form to fill out within your quarters listing your native era and your location within your native era. If you fill out the form, we shall endeavour to find you an anomaly to send you back within a reasonable time."

The guards gestured at me with their weapons. It seemed as though I had no choice but to follow them.

-*

My quarters, although clean and well-maintained, were rather sparsely furnished. There was a stack of forms on the table and as I flipped through them, I noticed they were the same form in various different languages. There were some I recognised, but most were foreign to me. I pulled out the English one and grabbed a pen. Since I was here, I might as well fill out their form and follow their rules.

Most of the questions were fairly straightforward.

I wrinkled my nose at one of them. I couldn't see what my weight had to do with the anomalies. I left it blank. I also left the section "Disease History" blank. I wasn't going to tell them about every single cold and cyst I had ever gotten. It was certainly none of their business.

There was absolutely nothing I could do to protect myself from their diseases. I had already breathed in their air, talked to their people and I was hungry enough to eat their food that they had left out for me.

As for them, I shrugged. I presumed that they would have taken the necessary precautions to prevent them getting anything from me. If not, then it was really too bad for them, wasn't it?

I slid the form through the slot in the door when I was finished and then sat on the bed and examined the food they had left for me. It all looked rather foreign, but when I tasted a spherical lump it was something like chicken.

-*

About ten minutes after I had slid the papers under the door, I heard a thundering of feet outside. My door opened and a man in uniform entered. He was rather attractive so I smiled at him.

He stared at me, his face impassive.

"Please come with me, Ms Cutter," he said, and put his hand on his weapon.

With a sigh, I stood up and followed him out the door.

-*

I was led to a spacious, beautifully furnished – bizarrely in style of the Victorian era which was always one of my favourites – penthouse suite.

An older woman was standing there, dressed in the same style as the woman who had greeted me at the anomaly.

"Helen Cutter," the woman said as she walked towards me. Her voice was smooth and melodious. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Please take a seat." She gestured towards a gorgeous settee. "Feel free to help yourself to anything on the platter."

I stared at her. And then I stared at the platter. It was filled with delicious foods. "I'm sorry," I said as I turned back towards the woman. "What was your name again?"

Her lips quirked up into a smile. "I never told you it."

Damn. My little trick didn't work. "What am I doing here?" I asked.

"Please," she said, as she sat down, "take a seat. Be comfortable."

I stayed standing. "What am I doing here," I repeated.

"We get such few visitors," the woman explained as she helped herself to a strawberry. "Mmm, always my favourites. It's such a disappointment when people ruin them with chocolate or sugar, isn't it?"

I nodded. I had always said something similar whenever I had strawberries. I once knew somebody who dumped vinegar on their strawberries. It was ridiculous. Vinegar was for chips not strawberries! "The woman at the anomaly was nowhere near as… polite."

"Kaesia takes some getting used to," the woman agreed. She looked up at me. "Well since you are not going to take a seat," a small smile played around her lips and her eyes looked misty, "I'd better get right down to business."

I took a step backwards. This wasn't sounding terribly good.

The woman reached into a bag next to her and pulled out a small square object. "Take this," she said.

I made no move to walk forward. "What is it?"

"It is something that will help you in your travels through the anomaly."

"My travels?" I repeated. "I'm planning to go straight home."

She nodded. "Of course you are."

I wasn't sure whether it was my imagination or if she sounded rather sarcastic.

"It will help you go home anyway," she continued. "It's my own invention. It's quite interesting. It'll pinpoint any anomaly within a few hundred kilometres as well as giving a general idea of where each anomaly leads. As such, you can travel anywhere you want. Or rather, anywhen."

"So why are you giving it to me?" I couldn't help it. I was rather suspicious.

"Let's just say I've taken a liking to you. Anyway, I believe there is an anomaly appearing any minute now very near here that will lead to England, eight years after you left. I suggest you take it." She stood up, walked over and pressed the device into my hands. "It can play up a bit, but it can generally be relied upon. It's better than going through the anomalies blind anyway."

-*

I stood in front of the anomaly. The one the woman had told me should lead me back home, or at least approximately home. In my jacket pocket, I had the device she gave me. I was still rather wary of her intentions, but I figured that there was no harm in taking it. I just hoped that this anomaly wasn't going to lead to some sort of horrible era instead by mistake.

I took a deep breath and stepped through.


	4. Chapter 4

Part IV

England looked almost the same as when I left. Given that it had only been eight years – subjectively to me it had been far less than that – I didn't expect there to be any massive changes.

I walked slowly towards the place where Nick and I lived; hoping that he still lived there. I wasn't sure what I would say once I got there. I didn't think: _Sorry, but I accidentally ended up in the Permian era_ would go down too well.

When I got to the house, I walked up to a window and peered in. It looked like the same furniture we had. The lamp in the corner had been changed but that was to be expected. It had been eight years. I saw Nick walk into the living room and felt my heart skip a beat. He still looked as handsome as the day I married him. Eight years had given him slight lines around his eyes, but somehow that added to his charm. He seemed to be talking to somebody.

As I watched, I saw Stephen walk into the room. I drew in a quick breath. Eight years might not have changed Nick much, but made Stephen so much more gorgeous. He looked positively edible.

I saw Nick say something to Stephen whose lips curled into that familiar charming grin I remembered all too well.

Then, to my surprise, I saw Stephen lean over and kiss my husband on the lips. It wasn't a deep kiss. I might have been happier if it had been the stolen furtive kiss of secret lovers. Instead it was a familiar kiss. Much like the ones I used to give Nick whenever I got home.

I watched for a while longer, but couldn't see anything else terribly out of the ordinary. Stephen got up and when he came back, he had a cup of tea for Nick. My heart twisted as I remembered how he used to do the same for me. I imagined I could still smell the tea. Earl Grey with lemon. Nick would have no other.

I suddenly heard footsteps come up behind me.

"What are you doing?" a sharp voice asked me.

I turned around and saw a policeman. "I… I," I trailed off. I wasn't sure how to explain myself.

The policeman sighed and fished around in his pocket. He produced what seemed like a small black square. He held it out to me.

I stared at it blankly.

"Idiot," he muttered and rolled his eyes. He grabbed my right hand and pressed my index finger onto it. The machine beeped once, flashed green, and announced: "Helen Cutter."

At once, his attitude changed. "Apologies, Ms Cutter," he said almost subserviently.

I was incredibly puzzled but decided to play along. "No problems," I said, lifting my head slightly to look down my nose at him. I wondered if he thought I was a criminal or something. I was surprised that anybody had my fingerprints on file. And if they did, surely I would have been declared dead by now. I debated whether to explain my earlier silence to him, but decided not to. Fewer words were always better. I nodded briskly to him and walked past him.

"Would you like a ride to your residence, Ms Cutter?" the policeman asked me.

I stopped and turned around. _My residence? _I was puzzled. _Maybe this was a case of mistaken identity. Or…_ My heart plummeted. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of this earlier. Time travel. How could I be so stupid! This was obviously some sort of alternate universe. That explained Nick and Stephen. That explained everything.

The policeman was still waiting for my answer.

"Certainly," I managed to get out. Perhaps I could ask my other self for help.

-*

I was dropped outside of a set of luxury apartments. I got out and watched as the policeman drove away. I then turned around and stared at the entrance. It seemed very securely locked. I was wondering how to get in when I looked to my left and saw a series of labelled buttons.

Scanning down the list, I saw one labelled Helen Cutter. I pressed it, hoping that there was somebody home. I wasn't sure how I would explain this to my alternate self, but I was sure I'd think of something. I briefly wondered why I chose to use Nick's name instead of my own maiden name. Perhaps we were only separated in this reality.

It couldn't have been a few seconds when a male voice answered.

"Ms Cutter's residence. James speaking."

I blinked. I didn't know anybody called James. "This is Helen," I began.

"Ms Cutter!" the person – James – exclaimed. "Have you forgotten your keys? I will buzz you in immediately!"

I heard a buzzing sound and the door in front of me clicked. I hesitated briefly before putting my hand on the door handle. I had handled the future and the Permian era. Surely I could handle an alternate 21st century.

-*

It had taken me a while, but I finally managed to find 'my' apartment. A man was standing outside the door, holding it open for me. I raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything. I presumed it was James. "Thank you," I said politely.

I thought I saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Perhaps social niceties were not followed in this reality. Or perhaps, I thought grimly. Perhaps I just wasn't a kind person. It was readily apparent that James was some sort of servant of mine.

"Ms Cutter, would you like a cup of tea?"

I shook my head. I was not fond of tea.

"How about a cup of Italian hot chocolate?"

An involuntary growl escaped my stomach. I had fallen in love with Italian hot chocolate over the past few years. Nick had always teased me about my addiction to it. "It's like syrup," he told me more than once. I had always just hit him playfully. I felt a painful twist to my heart. I missed Nick. My Nick. And my Stephen. Who most emphatically never kissed and never brought each other cups of tea. I snapped out of my reverie and looked at James. "Yes," I said sharply.

"As you wish," he said, with a neat bow and left the room.

I looked around the living room of my apartment. It was quite tastefully furnished with Victorian era furniture. I sat down on a leather couch while I waited for my hot chocolate. I still wasn't sure what I was going to say to James. What was he to me anyway? A servant? My partner? I didn't think it was the latter. He was a bit too subservient.

I heard a slight cough and noticed James standing there with a little pot of hot chocolate. I accepted it from him and sipped the sweet brew. "Sit," I ordered when I noticed that he was about to leave the room.

He sat down looking doubtful.

I hesitated. I was unsure how to begin. "Have you heard any news on Nick and Stephen lately?"

"I have heard that they are very happy," James said.

I frowned. It sounded rehearsed. I wracked my brains trying to think of another question to ask when suddenly the door to the apartment opened. Oh fuck, I thought as I saw another Helen Cutter walk into the room. This one, unlike me, was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit.

James jumped up. "Ms Cutter!" he said.

She looked icily at me. "Who might you be?" she said.

James looked at both of us. "You're identical!" he exclaimed.

I glared at him. Obviously he was a bit dim-witted. It was blatantly obvious that we were one and the same person.

The other Helen sniffed. "Just look at how she's dressed!"

I stared down at my jeans and a t-shirt with my jacket tied around my waist. Yes there was a bit of grime on there from the Permian era, but nothing terribly unusual. "My attire is fine," I exclaimed.

"You still haven't answered my question," she snapped. "Who are you?"

Standing up, I held out my hand. "My name is Helen Cutter. I'm from…" I hesitated slightly. "An alternate dimension."

She stared at my hand as if it was something dirty. Come to think of it, I did have quite a bit of dirt on my hand. I rubbed it hastily on my t-shirt. "I apologise, but I did have a sojourn in the Permian era."

Ah, finally, I saw a resemblance. A spark appeared in my double's eyes. "The Permian era?" she asked. "How?"

I gestured at the couch. "We had better sit down. It's a long story."

-*

A few hours later, I had managed to get quite acquainted with my double and her world. I was finding it exceedingly bizarre. Apparently James was something like her slave. But no, she had said that slave was an inappropriate term. He was more like her student except she has a sexual relationship with him. I barely managed to suppress a hysterical laugh. It was something like what I had with Stephen, except perfectly forthright and legal.

"It is something like the Ancient Greek system," she explained. "I impart my knowledge to James, and in turn he… services me in other ways. I pay everything for him for these years and in return I get extra legal privileges. It's all perfectly legal and ethical!" Obviously I had a look of shock on my face.

I wondered if that explained the policeman who had scanned me. I also asked her about Stephen and Nick and she laughed.

We're still married," she explained. "We find that this arrangement works. I was quite surprised when Nick chose Stephen. To be honest I was expecting him to choose the redheaded archeology student, but apparently they work together quite well."

I just shook my head. It was too strange for me. Especially when I was watching my alternate self lean over and make out with James. It wasn't as though James wasn't attractive. But I didn't really have any voyeuristic fantasies.

With effort I stopped myself from pondering this reality. I really shouldn't be judgmental. After all, I was nowhere near perfect.

-*

"I would be interested in studying that device of yours more," my alternative self told me.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but I really need to get myself home." I wasn't sure how I'd ended up in this alternate universe. I didn't think I'd done anything in the Permian era to cause this, but obviously I had. Perhaps going into the past would fix it, to a point before the Permian era. Conversely, going to the future to see that woman again might do it.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay?" she asked.

With a slight tinge of regret, I shook my head. My double had given me a couple of history books of this world and I had discovered that I quite liked it. Obviously gay rights were a non-issue here. They had a few less civil liberties but generally, their world seemed a bit more secure. I was sure that there were a lot of issues that this world had, but it seemed pretty good on the surface.

I had examined the anomaly device a few times over the past few days and none seemed useful. I was eager to leave quickly. I spotted one anomaly that was supposed to go to Germany in the 1940s. I had always been interested in that era so I decided to take the shot and go through. Besides, I had always promised myself to go travelling at some point. What better way to travel than through these anomalies?

I promised myself I would try to get back home sometime. Once I figured out a way how to.

I walked towards the anomaly. Turning around, I waved to my double and James. I then walked through.


End file.
